The Price I'd Pay
by IsobelTheroux
Summary: After a hard day trying to catch the Skullgirl, Parasoul decides to unwind at a bar. She really doesn't feel like putting up with Valentine and her unwanted attention, that is until the Nurse offers to give a clue as to where the Skullgirl is hiding. But there's always a price to pay for Valentine's help.


"Never thought I'd see the Crown Princess in a place like this." The sudden voice startled Parasoul. The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. She looked around to see who was addressing her. She almost jumped as she spotted Valentine smirking at her. She was gracefully perched on the bar stool next to her own, sipping a martini.

She started to rise, remembering her duty, but stopped as she realized how exhausted she was. Searching for the Skullgirl was more difficult than she cared to admit and she wouldn't last long in a fight against the powerful nurse. And she had stupidly left her backup behind in a failed attempt to get away and unwind.

Sighing, she settled back on her own stool and waved to the bartender, signaling for a second whiskey. As she waited, she glanced discreetly at Valentine. This was the first time she had really seen the woman up close. Her blue hair cascaded down her back in a loose wave. In place of gauze, she had a white patch covering her eye, giving her an air of mystery. She had traded her typical nurse outfit for a tight black dress that hugged her slender, but curvy figure. Parasoul had to admit, Valentine had a easy confidence that drew the eye. Paired with her stunning looks, Parasoul knew she would have to be careful around her.

She had know the Nurse for some time, and though she hated to admit it, had been unfortunately attracted to her from the moment they first met. Not that she had ever let on. And as far as she knew Valentine only cared about people to use in her "experiments".

"See something you like, Princess?" Valentine smirked, sipping her drink casually.

Parasoul rolled her eyes and looked up, noticing the bartender approaching her. She accepted her drink with a grateful nod and took a long sip. Valentine looked over at her, clearly amused.

"What?"

She grinned, "Nothing. That's just a very strong drink you have there. Very manly." She winked. "Does that help the Egrets think of you as one of them?"

Parasoul slammed down her glass, startling the other patrons. "What do want, Valentine?" She struggled to control her voice, not wanting to draw too much attention to them. No one besides Valentine had recognized her yet, and she'd like to keep it that way. "What are you doing here? Just trying to antagonize me? Hmm?"

"Come on Princess, don't you think we can put aside our differences for one night?"

Parasoul raised a brow. "And why do you think I'd ever agree to that? You're a wanted criminal. I should bring you in right now."

"Ouch, that hurts," Valentine joked. She drained the rest of her drink. "And when I was going to be helpful too."

Suddenly alert, Parasoul looked over. "And how would you do that?"

"Well that got your attention, didn't it?" She grinned at her. "I could tell you where the Skullgirl is. Of course," she paused and met Parasoul's eyes, "it would come at a price"

She sighed, "And what exactly do you want? Money? Oh, no let me guess. Power."

"Nothing so trivial. I just want one thing. One little bitty thing." She leaned in close, Parasoul already dreading what her next word would be. She put her lips close to Parasoul's ear, her breath tickling her. She whispered softly, "Fun."

"Excuse me?" Parasoul drew back. Maybe she needed to have her hearing checked. Valentine couldn't be serious.

"You heard me Princess, I want you to show me you know how to have fun. That's an important skill for a ruler, you know. Being able to cut loose and have a good time. It let's the little people relate to you better."

"Let's pretend I'd actually agree to this. How would I go about it?" She couldn't believe she was considering this. It was crazy. But unfortunately it might be the only lead she would get. She had to pursue it even if it just turned out to be a trap.

"Well first things first, I need another drink." She waved her empty glass at Parasoul.

Parasoul nodded and waved to the bartender again. "Get her another of those." She inclined her head towards the glass in Valentine's hand.

"Sure thing." He moved away, quickly mixing things together. It was only a moment before he was passing a glass of bright pink liquid to the Nurse.

"Now that's what I call service." She looked over at Parasoul. The cheeky look on Valentine's face said she had Parasoul right where she wanted her, and Parasoul was certain that was a dangerous place to be.

"You know, I've always had a soft spot for you, Princess."

"I have a name, you know," she said, ignoring the compliment. She hated when people acted as if she was nothing more than her title. She had been putting up with it her whole life, sometimes it was enough to make her want to scream.

"Oh I know, I just like Princess. It suits you." She ran her finger's through Parasoul long hair. "After all, you're beautiful and powerful," she smiled, "just like a Princess should be." She caressed Parasoul's cheek, the gesture oddly intimate.

Parasoul pulled away uneasily. She drummed her fingers on the bar, hoping Valentine hadn't noticed her reaction. She was already eager to get this night over with.

By the time Parasoul had finished another whiskey and Valentine had nearly finished three more martinis, she was feeling anxious. She wanted to hurry this up and get her intel. "Now what?"

Valentine finished off her drink and sat it down, clearly amused. "Now, now Princess. So impatient." She pretended to be shocked. "First we dance." Valentine rose quickly, and moved to the dance floor. She started dancing, surprisingly good, unsurprisingly sexy. Parasoul watched in amusement as several men tried to dance with her. The Nurse would put up with them for a few moments before moving away, looking bored.

Valentine threw back her hair and moved her hips sensually, then glanced back at Parasoul and grinned. Parasoul looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring. When she looked back, Valentine was staring at her, beckoning her forward with a finger.

She considered staying where she was. She wasn't much of a dancer, unless you counted the formal gatherings where she had no choice. But that was all slow dancing, it was a far cry from the sexy, fluid movements that she saw the women here doing. She was sure she would make a fool of herself. But something compelled her to go. Without giving herself a chance to chicken out, she stood up and moved to Valentine.

The Nurse immediately started dancing closer, swaying tantalizingly. Letting go of her nervousness, Parasoul started moving, letting the beat of the music guide her. She bounced and twirled, giggling. She felt free for the first time in years. By the time Valentine grabbed her hand and drew her close, she didn't hesitate, pressing herself closer and grinding her hips against Valentine's.

They continued like this for what felt like hours. Parasoul felt shocked by how amazing everything felt. The pounding music, the bright lights, Valentine's body against hers. It all became too much and yet not nearly enough. She stopped abruptly, grabbing Valentine's hand and dragging her away.

They moved to an empty sofa, sweaty and breathless. Parasoul felt like she had just gone through a vigorous training exercise and not all of it could be attributed to the dancing. She looked discreetly at Valentine, her heart racing.

"About the intel," Valentine started.

Parasoul was startled to realize she had completely forgotten about the Skullgirl. In fact she had been so swept up in the moment she had forgotten about everything. She cleared her throat. "Right, so have you had you fun yet?' she asked coolly.

"Almost, but there's still something I wanna try, Princess." Valentine's voice was low, barely a whisper. Parasoul leaned in, struggling to hear her. She gasped when the nurse grabbed her arm, drawing her even closer.

She hesitated a moment, her thoughts racing. She still felt dizzy from the alcohol and the close proximity with such a gorgeous woman wasn't helping matters.  
Taking a deep breath, she let go of her worries about the Skullgirl, her anxiety over her future, her fears of what would happen tomorrow. Right now all Parasoul wanted to think of was Valentine.

She closed the distance between them, placing her lips on Valentine's. She had wanted to this for so long it had become a deep ache. She kissed Valentine hard, releasing all the pent up frustration she'd let build between them.

Parasoul deepened the kiss, moving her tongue against Valentine's, tasting gin and strawberries. She moved her hand down the Nurse's back, grasping her hip tightly. Valentine moved closer still, twining her fingers in Parasoul's hair.

Parasoul moved down, placing her lips on Valentine's throat. She kissed the soft skin there, lightly moving her tongue over it. Valentine gasped in surprise when Parasoul ran her teeth over the sensitive skin and lightly bit her.

"Princess," Valentine moaned. She ran her hand up Parasoul's thigh, pushing her dress up higher. When she grasped Parasoul's lace panties, Parasoul pulled away suddenly, remembering where they were.

Confidently, Parasoul smirked at the nurse. "How's that for fun?" she asked, breathlessly. She couldn't help herself, she felt like she could do anything tonight.

Valentine looked at her, slowly moving her eyes up Parasoul's body. When she spoke her voice was husky. "Consider me impressed, Princess, but the night is young. Don't you want to continue this somewhere more...private?"

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing." As she and Valentine moved out of the bar, Parasoul realized that things would be very different between them in the morning.

When Parasoul awoke in the morning she was alone.

So that's it, she thought. After spending such a passionate night with Valentine she had hoped for more, but she knew that was foolish. After all, she and Valentine were still enemies. Things are better this way, she reminded herself. Now she wouldn't confuse things.

Sighing, she stretched and got ready to move off the bed until she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

A folded piece of hotel stationary lay on the other pillow. Parasoul grabbed it and quickly flipped it open. Though she wasn't sure what she was hoping for, her heart was pounding as she scanned the words.

 _Princess,_  
 _If you want to find the Skullgirl, look at the Grand Cathedral. I'll warn you though, she's extremely dangerous. I'd hate for our fun to be cut short, so be careful. And when you're ready to have more fun, you know where I'll be.  
~Valentine_

Parasoul smiled to herself and read the note again. Though it would be complicated maybe when all this was over she and Valentine could have more "fun". But first she had a job to do. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Adam.

"It's me. I know where to find the Skullgirl."


End file.
